Combined folding seat and cane



March 5, 1940. A. F. LAUCKNER COMBINED FOLDING SEAT AND CANE Filed July 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l gnaw I i'zfizz/f azxcizzer r h 1940. A. F. LAUCKNER 2,192,415 COMBINED FOLDING SEAT AND CANE Filed July 19. 1938 2 She ets-Sheet 2 Qfwm' $224111 faaci/iexr Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,192,475 i COMBINED FOLDING SEAT AND CANE Arthur Lauckner, Great- Falls, Mont.

Application July 19, 1938, Serial No. 220,107

Claims.

This invention relatesto the class of chairs and seats and pertains particularly to an improved folding seat or stool.

The present invention has for its primary objectto provide a novel modernistically designed substantial beach, carnival, fair, hiking or sport swagger stick or cane that may be readily transformed or snapped into a standing height seat or stool, whereby there is provided a strong and of the 'way between the shafts which are maintained in parallel relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a seat or rest of the character described, a novel means for coupling two supporting shafts together whereby one will be bracedag'ainst the other when the shafts are shifted apart from the use of the device as a seat and the coupled ends of the shafts will be disposed with their tips in the same plane when the shafts are secured together in parallel relation for use as a cane or similar type of support.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a seat or rest of the character described, a novel joining means between the shafts forming the legs of the seat and the seat itselfwhereby the seat body may be easily and quickly disposed in operative position or shifted to inoperative position and, when in inoperative position, the shafts may be quickly clipped together and maintain the seat board secure between them.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure l is a view in perspective of the device same arranged as a rest.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view looking toward the end ofthe seat whichis permanently attached to one shaft. t

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view looking toward the endof the seat which is detachably connected with a shaft, Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.

embodying the present invention, showing the 'Figure 5 is a view in elevation of the lower v ends of, the shafts disposed in parallel relation.

Figure 6 is aview 'similarto Figure 5, showing the shafts separated for use of the device as a rest.

Figure 7 is a view in side elevation of the device folded for use as a cane. t

Figure 8 is a view in elevation 'of the device as shown in Figure '7, looking at the same from a position at right angles to'the line of'view for Figure '7. v

Figure 9 is a view illustrating the several positions assumed by the parts of the device when setting up the same as a rest or folding it for use as a cane. I

Figure 10 is a view in' topplan of the seat in set up position, the shafts being in transverse section. 1

Figure 11 is a sectional view on the line ll'-ll of Figure '7.

Referring now more particularly to the drawin s, the numerals l and 2 designate the members which constitute legs for the device embodying the present invention when the device is set up as a rest or seat, these members being generally referred to as theshafts of the device when they are to be referred to generally regardless of whether they are separated for use as seat legs or joined together. for use as a unit as a cane, swagger stick or other similar article. The shaft l which may be referred to as the main shaft of the device has a ferrule 3 of metal or suitable similar material upon its lower end and this ferrule encircles the base portion of a tip 4 of rubberor other suitable material, such as is commonly employed upon the lower end of a cane or upon the lower end of the leg of a chair to prevent the same from slipping. I

At the upper end of themain, shaft l-a loop 5 is attached by which the handling of the'device as a cane or swagger stick is facilitated by engagement of the loop around the wrist. A portion of the upper end of both of the shafts I and 2 may be wrapped or otherwise finished, as

Such finish may be in the form of a leather or imitation leather wrapping, a cork sheath or a sheath or covering of any other suitable material.

The lower end of the other shaft, the shaft 2, is encased in a metal tip I, the lower end of which is tapered off so as to form the inclined or conical surface 8, which surface is adapted to bear against the side of the ferrule 3 when the device is being used as a seat or rest, as will be hereinafter described, and has its apex or point in the plane tangent to the lowermost point of the tip 4 when the shafts are disposed in parallel relation and secured together for unitary use as a cane.

A hinge link, indicated generally by the numeral 9, joins the ferrule 3 with the tip I and: this link comprises the two right angularly formed bars I 0, each of which has an eye II upon one of its ends to receive the uneyed end of the other bar. The medial portion or leg of each bar l passes through an aperture in the lower end of a shaft and, as isshown in Figure 5 the shaft 2 has the aperture I 2 therethrough adjacent the tapered portion of the tip 7, whereas the shaft I has the aperture I3 therethrough adjacent the upper end of the ferrule, thus when the shafts are in parallel relation the aperture I3 will be at a higher level than the aperture I2, so that the eyed legs of the bars it will be disposed obliquely of the shafts, as shown in Figure 5. By pulling upwardly upon the shaft 2 and swinging it upon the leg of the bar which passes through its lower end, the shafts can'be brought into V-forming relation and the inclined or tapered surface 8 of the tip 7 will move into flat abutting relation with the ferrule 3. In this position the eyed ends of the bars II] will be substantially horizontal, as shown in Figure 6.

, At the lower end of the hand grip portion 6 on the shaft I, there is secured the relatively long substantially U-shaped spring clip I4, the free ends of the legs E5 of which are rounded or looped, as indicated at I6. The shaft lies in the crotch of this spring clip and a pivot pin I'I passes transversely through the shaft I and through the sides of the clip, securing the clip in substantially right angular relation with the shaft I and with the open end thereof directed toward the shaft 2.

The numeral 3 generally designates the seat board of the device. This comprises an elongated sheet of material I9, such as a metal of suitable weight having a longitudinal recess cut in each end, as indicated by the numerals 20 and 2! and having a portion of each longitudinal edge turned down and inwardly to form a retaining flange 22 for a bar member 23, which extends longitudinally of the underside of the sheet of material from one end thereof to the other, the distance between the bars being approximately equal to the widths of the recesses 2il-2I. The recess 2! receives therein the shaft I and the ends of the bars 23 have the pivot pin ll passed therethrough and the length of the recess 2i), is such that when the seat It is raised to operative position the clip i l will substantially fill the recess 20 in which it will be housed.

At the other end of the seat ill from the pivot pin ii, there is secured across the outer end of the recess 2i and betweenthe adjacent ends of the bars 23, a. retaining pinfZfl and secured transversely through the shaft 2 just below the hand grip portion 8 thereof is a supporting pin 25, the ends of which extend from opposite sides of the shaft 2 and are adapted to have the ends of the bars 23 rest thereon when the adjacent end of the shaft 2 is extended through the recess 2| between the inner end of this recess and the pin 24.

From the foregoing description'it will be readily apparent that the device herein described may be folded to form a novel cane or other form of novelty which may be carried in the hand such as a swagger stick or the like and when desired for ,use as a rest or supporting seat may be readily opened up by disengaging the upper end of the shaft 2 from between the free ends of the clip I4 so as to swing the shafts into the V-relation shown in Figure 5 so as to permit the end of the seat body i8 which carries the pin 24 to be raised from its position of parallelism with and between the shafts to a position where the upper end of the shaft 2 can be inserted through the recess 2| to bring the adjacent ends .of the bars 23 to rest upon the ends of the supporting pin 25. When the seat is folded, the seat body will be swung down on the pin I? so as to bring the shaft I into position between the bars 23 and theother shaft 2 may then be shifted on the hinge unit 9 into parallel relation with the shaft I and forced into locking engagement with the clip M by which it will be held so that the two shafts may be made use of as a unit, as a cane or similar article.

I claim:

l. A folding seat of the character described, comprising a pair of shafts; a ground engaging anti-slipping. tip upon one end of one shaft, means pivotally coupli'ng'the said one end of the one shaft with an end of the other shaft whereby the shafts may be disposed in adjacent parallel relation for joint contact with the ground or in V-formation, an elongated rigid seat member, means pivotally coupling an end of said seat member to one of the shafts adjacent'the other end thereof, means at the other end of the seat member for detachably receiving the other shaft, and'means carried by the said other shaft for supporting the said other end of the seat member when the said means at the other end'of the seat member has received the said other shaft, the seat member maintaining the shafts rigidly in the said V-formation' when the folding seat is set up and being disposed longitudinally of and between the shafts when the folding seat is folded.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of shafts, a ground engaging antislipping tip upon one end of one shaft, means pivotally coupling the said one end of the one shaft with an end of the other shaft whereby the shafts may be disposed in'adjacent parallel relation or in V-formation, a seat member, means pivotally coupling an end of said seat memberto one of the shafts adjacent the other end thereof, means at the other end of the seat member for detachably receiving the other shaft, and means carried by the other shaft for the support of the seat member thereon, said first-named pivot means being so constructed and arranged that the ends of the shafts connected thereby may be disposed so that both may rest upon the ground when the shafts are in parallel relation and when the shafts are in V-formation, the first mentioned end of the second shaft may be raised and disposed against the side of the tip carrying end of the first shaft.

- 3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of shafts, pivotal means coupling said shafts together at one end whereby the shafts may be disposed in adjacent parallel relation or in V-forming relation, a seat member adaptedto be disposed at the other, ends of the shafts when the shafts are in V-forming relation, said seat member having end recesses each formed to receive a shaft, one of said shafts being permanently pivotally secured in a seat recess, a pin port the seat member when the said other shaft is in position in the other recess of the seat member, means closing the outer end of said latter shafts when the shafts are in V-forming relation,

said seat member having end recesses each formed to receive a shaft, one of said shafts beingpermanently pivotally secured in a seat recess, a pin carried by and extending transversely of the other shaft and having projecting ends to support the seat member when the said other shaft is in position in the other recess of the seat member, means closing the outer end of said lat ter recess, said seat member being adapted to be 'swung into an inoperative position between the shafts, and a spring clip secured to thefirst mene tioned shaft and positioned in the seat member recess in which the first mentioned shaft is pivotally secured, saidspring clip being directed toward the other shaft for resiliently securing the same when the shafts are brought into parallel 5. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of shafts, a ground engaging tip secured to an end'of one shaft, a coupling. link between the saidend of the one shaft and an end of the other shaft permitting the relative movement of the shafts todispose the same in side by side parallel relation or in V-forming relation, the said end of the said other shaft being disposed against said ground engaging tip and in raised relation with the same when the shafts arein V-formation, a seat member comprising an elongated body of sheet material having a slot cut in each end,a pair of bars secured to said sheet of material in spaced parallel relation along one face thereof, one of said shafts-being pivotally secured between two adjacent ends of said bars and in a slot, the other slot of the sheet of marelation with the 'seat member therebetween. carried by and extending transversely of the Y other shaft and having projecting ends to supterial being adapted to receive the'other shaft, a I

tween the bars and the'other shaft secured by said clip to the first shaft.

- ARTHUR F. LAUCKNER. 

